Clients & Case Histories
Hispanic Scholarship Fund
Christopher JonesTait Subler's work has been enormously beneficial, not only in terms of providing strategic focus and clarity, but also in providing inspiration and motivation. We simply had not realized in such clear terms the reality of our unique role, and this understanding has impacted decision-making across the organization -- which is, in turn, beginning to improve our performance.
Chief Operating Officer
The Challenge
Over the last few years Target Corporation has engaged Tait Subler not only to inform its own corporate philanthropy strategy but also to work with a number of its non-profit partners, the Hispanic Scholarship Foundation among them.
Hispanics are America’s largest racial/ethnic minority and the fastest-growing demographic of the young work force, yet they have the lowest high school and college completion rates of any racial or ethnic group. HSF was formed to address this challenge, and over the past 31 years has grown to provide more college financial aid to the Hispanic community than any other organization in the country, with $220 million in scholarships granted to date. HSF realized that strengthening its brand was necessary in order to achieve its ambitious goals.
What We Did
We began with in-depth interviews of the senior leadership of the organization to define HSF’s strategic opportunities and challenges. Our team then conducted a series of workshops with cross-functional teams throughout the organization to better understand HSF’s culture, vision and values and unique position in its field. We also conducted interviews with a number of HSF’s key funders, board members and non-profit partners to gain their perspective. And, finally, we designed and facilitated focus groups among HSF alumni and Scholars to understand their connection with the organization and what, if anything, differentiated it from other scholarship organizations.
The Outcome
We shaped a strategic point of view for HSF that clearly defines its unique position in the scholarship-granting field – one that will help accelerate its path to growth. By better understanding its unique role and its key value propositions to its main stakeholder groups, HSF will be better positioned to engage more students and families in its programs, to develop greater and deeper relationships with prospective funders, and to speak more forcefully to key influencers and public policy-makers. In addition to our recommendations, we engaged both the organization’s Executive Team and Board of Directors in setting strategic priorities and a course of action for the organization.